Elephant's Memory
by The Irish Baroness
Summary: One-shot. TezukaxOC. Kari never forgot ANYTHING! So she was a little upset when her boyfriend forgot to walk her home... but she soon discovered that there was a perfectly logical explanation for his sudden slip of the mind!


This is a 'Tezuka/Kari' moment I created for _Different Child_.

(For those who don't know, Niigata Kari is my OC from my story _New Beginnings _that's still in the works) :)

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_**Elephant's Memory**_

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Kari hummed happily to herself as she leaned against the boys' clubhouse outside of the tennis courts. The girls' team ended their tennis practice earlier than the boys so she opted to wait for her boyfriend as he changed out of his tennis uniform. The spring sun bathed her in a warm glow as she relaxed deeper against the wall, a blissful grin stretched across her face.

It was the obnoxious voice of her cousin that shook her from her reverie. "What are you doing here, Kari?" inquired Momo, looming over his lounging cousin.

Slightly miffed by his intrusion, Kari dared to open her eyes to glare irritably up at her spikey-haired cousin. "I'm waiting for Kunimitsu," snapped Kari. "He said he'd walk me home."

At this point, Kikumaru and Fuji had already vacated the clubhouse and now stood beside Momo, exchanging anxious glances when they heard Kari. Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, Kikumaru smiled unsurely at Kari. "Um… Buchou already… left," he informed her.

Kari pushed off against the wall and glared menacingly at Kikumaru who wilted under her green eyes. "Are you sure?" she cried.

"Y-yeah," stammered Kikumaru, inching behind Fuji. "H-he said he had something to take care of."

Fuji, Kikumaru, and Momo shared startled glances as Kari brushed past them and ran towards the gate of the school. Her ponytail fluttered behind her as her feet pounded loudly on the pavement. Students stumbled back in surprise as the racing tennis player sped past them, her emerald eyes narrowed on the school gates that finally appeared in her line of view.

Reaching the entrance to the school, Kari bent forward, her hands clasping her knees, as she struggled for breath. Around her, students released from sports practices ambled past, overlooking the raven haired tennis player, her breath ragged from a sudden sprint. Kari's apprehensive eyes swept over her surroundings, hoping for a glimpse of a familiar tennis captain.

_Where is he_? she thought worriedly, her shoulders drooping slightly when she couldn't find him.

Remembering her cell phone, Kari fished into her tennis bag and retrieved the cellular device. After pressing 'two' for speed dial (Bailey's speed dial being 'one'), she quickly pressed the receiver to her ear and impatiently waited for Tezuka to pick up.

_Ring_

_Ring_

_Ring_

_*Beep* Hello, you have reached Tezuka Kunimitsu. I am not here, right now. Leave a message._

Kari grimaced as she reached the answering machine narrated by a familiar droning voice. Closing her cell phone and disconnecting the call, she stuffed it back into her bag and scanned her surroundings one more time. _Nowhere in sight! Where is that boy?_ wondered Kari, playing uneasily with her hair. She always busied her fingers with something whenever she was nervous.

It wasn't like Tezuka to forget something. It was customary that the stoic tennis captain escort Kari home every evening. It was to be expected. Kari loved having time alone with Tezuka. Bailey found Tezuka too intimidating and dispassionate and even went so far as to dub him the 'ice man'. Kari, on the other hand, found his stony aura to be appealing. He was like a puzzle. After she could piece him all together, he would reveal something beautiful to her.

After lingering by the school gates, Kari finally gave up. Sighing heavily, she began a downtrodden stroll back to her house. _Did he really forget? I never forget things! Especially walking home with my boyfriend!_ Kari thought irritably. If anything, Kari prided herself on her elephant's memory. She made a point to stay on top of things and never let a single detail slip from her mind. It was a helpful quality that aided her in school and when dealing with her space-case of a cousin.

Kari paused to watch as a robin fluttered towards a low-hanging branch of an oak tree. _But it seems so unlikely for Kunimitsu to forget anything_. Tearing her eyes away from the glistening red feathers of the bird, Kari continued her trek back home. She resolved to call up her boyfriend when she reached home.

The house was quiet as Kari turned her key into the lock and slowly pushed open the front door. After flicking on a light, she remembered that her dad had a late business meeting and her mom was visiting Kari's grandmother. _At least it's quiet_, Kari thought begrudgingly, slipping off her school shoes and dropping her school bag by the base of the stairs.

The emerald-eyed girl was surprised when she found a slip of paper tied by a green string to the staircase banister. Kari's name was printed boldly across the paper. Curious, Kari untied the note from the wooden banister and warily read its contents:

"_Go Upstairs."_

Kari glanced up from the note. Her green eyes flickered from the staircase, to the abandoned living room and the dining room just passed that. She was searching for a reason why a mysterious note was tied to the banister vaguely instructing her to _go upstairs._ Carefully refolding the note, Kari slowly made her way to the top landing.

"Okay, I'm here," she said out loud, half expecting someone to hear her. Receiving no response, Kari grew more perplexed. Then, her eyes widened when she spied another mysterious note stuck to her bedroom door. Cautiously, she approached her bedroom and pried the note off of her door. Just like the previous note, her name was written across the front. Caving into curiosity, Kari opened the note:

"_Go Inside."_

"Okay," Kari said slowly, pushing open her bedroom door. "I'm going into my bedroom." But as she opened her door and flicked on her bedroom light, she realized that her bedroom was void of anyone (which came to Kari's half relief). But she was greeted by one of her favorite dresses spread across her bed with a note lying idly on top of it.

Sauntering over to her bed, Kari picked up the note. Just like the two before, this note was addressed to her and contained a mysterious order:

"_Take A Shower And Put On The Dress."_

Kari's skeptical gaze flickered from the note to her dress. It was a white dress particularly designed for daytime events. It was a halter dress with an empire line. The hem reached just above her knees and the fabric was layered with a veil-like cloth with white flowers stitched into it so the dress was given the ghostly impression of a floral pattern.

Letting the note drop from her hand, Kari grabbed the dress and hurried into the bathroom. _I have no idea what's going on, but I might as well play along_, she told herself, turning her shower on and peeling off her school uniform, slightly putrid from her tennis practice

After taking a brief shower and slipping on her white dress as instructed, she spied another note that she had missed taped to her vanity. Crossing towards the note, she sat down in her vanity chair and unfolded the simple piece of paper:

"_Put On The Locket Then Go Into The Kitchen."_

Carelessly tossing the paper over her shoulder, Kari opened her jewelry box and pulled out her beloved locket that Tezuka had given her for her birthday last month. Embedded into the silver heart was her March birthstone, aquamarine. The gem was a bright blue that rivaled the color the sky. Kari had always loved the pristine qualities of her birthstone and was elated by the locket Tezuka presented her with at her birthday dinner.

Kari considered the locket too precious and too delicate to wear to school and particularly tennis. She only wore the necklace when she was out on dates with Tezuka or just out around the town with her best friend, Bailey. Carefully, Kari clasped the necklace around her neck and admired her reflection. Deciding her hair too wet to leave down, she quickly plaited her raven locks into a French braid.

_The kitchen, huh?_ thought Kari, standing up from her vanity. Quickly, she hurried out of her bedroom and made her way towards the kitchen. A new vigor was in her steps. She was much more interested in this mysterious scavenger hunt then when she found the first note. When she finally entered the kitchen, she spied another note taped conspicuously to the refrigerator.

"Go Out Back," she read aloud, folding open the note and reading its contents. It sounded simple enough. Tossing the note unto the breakfast table, Kari slowly made her way to the backdoor that led out into her backyard.

"What?" breathed Kari, stepping out into the evening air.

Her emerald eyes widened in disbelief as she observed her backyard. Surrounding the veranda that branched out from the back of the house was a string of lights, casting a romantic glow on the wooden deck. Set up in the middle of the veranda was a table covered with a table cloth and a dinner-set spread out with an appetizing main course already served. Two chairs were pushed up to the table and a single rose sat idle in a crystal vase in the middle of the table. Her heart leapt into her throat when she saw Tezuka standing by the table dressed formally for a romantic dinner and a proud grin playing on his lips.

"You did all this?" she gasped, stumbling towards her boyfriend.

Tezuka chuckled and steadied the surprised girl with his strong arms. "Of course," he said, leading her towards the table.

Kari blushed as Tezuka pulled out her chair for her. Sliding clumsily into her seat, her green eyes studied the ambiance excitedly as Tezuka assumed the seat across from her. "But why?" she asked, returning her gaze to her boyfriend.

"It's our six month anniversary," Tezuka answered coolly.

Kari froze. "It is?"

"You mean you forgot?"

Kari groaned and buried her face shamefully into her hands. "I did!" she cried, shaking her head. "How could I forget such a thing!" she lifted her apologetic gaze back to Tezuka. "I thought _you _forgot to walk me home!"

Tezuka's deep laughter reached Kari's ears. "Well I guess that worked in my favor."

"I'm sorry," continued Kari. She felt like such a hypocrite for forgetting such an important date. "I feel like such an idiot."

"You're not an idiot," assured Tezuka. "I have no tolerance for incompetence. I wouldn't be going out with you if I thought you were stupid."

Kari smiled and lifted her glass to her boyfriend. "Cheers for six happy months."

"And for many more," imputed Tezuka, colliding his glass gently with hers.

A warm blush crept across Kari's cheeks as she tilted her glass towards her lips and slowly sipped its contents. If only Bailey could see her 'ice man', now… he definitely seemed a lot less heartless in the romantic glow of a spring sunset. Even though Kari hadn't completely pieced Tezuka Kunimitsu together, leaning back to observe her work, she could definitely tell that he would create a beautiful picture.

But the puzzle wasn't complete.

But that was okay.

Kari had all the time in the world.

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_Let me know what you think!_

_- The Irish Baroness_


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